At least 42 journalists are killed in 2010
as two trends emerge. Suicide attacks and violent street protests cause an
unusually high proportion of deaths. And online journalists are increasingly prominent
among the victims. A CPJ special report

New York, December 10, 2010--Investigators in Thailand now believe that troops may have been responsible for the shooting death of Reuters cameraman Hiro Muramoto, at left, on April 10, according to a leaked preliminary state probe by Thailand's Department of Special Investigation (DSI), Reuters reported from Bangkok today.

Thai government investigators said in the report that the death of Muramoto, a 43-year-old Japanese national based in Tokyo, "was caused by a high-velocity bullet as gunfire flashed from the direction of soldiers." Thailand's government has not released the report into Muramoto's death despite intense diplomatic pressure from Japan.

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Bangkok, September 24, 2010--The Committee
to Protect Journalists condemns the arrest today of Chiranuch Premchaiporn,
editor of the popular Thailand
news website Prachatai, on charges of
insulting the royal family.

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Bangkok, September 13, 2010--The Thai government acted inappropriately in pressuring the Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT) to cancel a press conference that would have criticized Vietnam, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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The
Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT) hosted a memorial Thursday to
mark the 25th anniversary of the deaths of NBC cameraman
correspondent Neil Davis and soundman Bill Latch. The two journalists were
killed by military fire on September 9, 1985, while covering a failed coup
attempt in the Thai capital.

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Two days before Italian photographer Fabio Polenghi was fatally
shot while covering widespread civil unrest in the streets of Bangkok, he
posted a short message to his Facebook
page: “Every day is a gift, so do your best,” he wrote in a message made more
poignant by his death on May 19.

More than two months later, however, it’s not clear
that Thai authorities are doing their best to solve the case and bring the
perpetrators to justice.

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Two journalists died and several others were injured
during the country’s political unrest. A CPJ investigation has found that both security
forces and protesters engaged in reckless behavior—and in the aftermath, the
government has done little to bring anyone to account. A CPJ special report by Shawn W. Crispin

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Reuters produced this video shortly after its cameraman Hiro Muramoto was killed while covering unrest in Bangkok on April 10. The video includes Muramoto's last footage, taken just before he was shot.

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Dear Prime Minister Abhisit:
The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns recent violence against journalists in Thailand, including the shooting deaths of two foreign reporters killed while covering news events. We call on your government to launch independent probes into recent attacks and bring the perpetrators to justice.

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New York, May 20, 2010—As details of violence emerge, the Committee to Protect Journalists called on the Thai government today to investigate the deaths of two journalists who were killed while covering the violence that has wracked Bangkok and other parts of Thailand for three months. It is the government’s duty to instruct military forces to be aware of the presence of journalists in a battle area and ensure their safety, CPJ said.

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Firsthand accounts from journalists covering street protests
in Bangkok illustrate the severity of the crisis and the danger to the
front-line press. At least eight journalists have been shot, two of them
fatally, while covering the unrest in the Thai capital, CPJ research shows. On
Wednesday, police entered the Buddhist temple Wat Patum, where antigovernment
protesters had gathered. The
troops opened fire with live ammunition, according to local and
foreign media reports. Andrew
Buncombe in London-based The
Independent picks it up from there:

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New York, May 19, 2010—Freelance Italian photojournalist Fabio Polenghi was killed and three international journalists were among dozens ofpeopleinjured today during clashes in Bangkok, according to international news reports. The fighting followed a military operation to clear an area occupied for six weeks by anti-government protesters. Demonstrators attacked and threatened local media outlets for perceived government bias in the ensuing disorder, while officials ordered that TV stations air only government-issued news bulletins, the reports said.

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Following news that Italian freelance photojournalist Fabio Polenghi was fatally
shot, and at least two other international journalists wounded today as security
forces stormed a makeshift camp of “Red Shirt” protesters in Bangkok, we issued this statement:

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New York, May 14, 2010—The Committee to Protect Journalists is gravely concerned about the deteriorating security situation for reporters in Thailand as government forces and anti-government protesters exchange fire in the national capital. Three journalists were shot and injured on Friday when security forces and protesters exchanged fire that resulted in at least seven deaths and more than 100 injuries, according to local and international news reports.

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As part of its declaration of emergency, the Thai government
last week radically broadened existing Internet censorship powers to prohibit a
wide range of speech, including independent commentary and newsgathering. In
doing so, it has exacerbated an already fragile political situation and may
have permanently weakened Thailand's constitutional protections for press
freedom.

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New York, April 12,
2010—The Committee to Protect Journalists is saddened and outraged by the
fatal shooting of Reuters cameraman Hiro Muramoto during armed exchanges
between government soldiers and antigovernment protestors on Saturday.
Muramoto, left, a Japanese national, was shot in the chest while filming an early-afternoon
confrontation and was pronounced dead at a Bangkok hospital, according to local
and international news reports.

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New York, April 9,
2010—The Thai government should restore access to news outlets censored after
a state of emergency was declared Wednesday in response to antigovernment
protests, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Journalists
reporting on the unrest are increasingly vulnerable to physical assault as
clashes between protesters and authorities escalate.

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New York, March 29,
2010—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns and calls for a thorough
investigation into grenade attacks launched against two state-owned television
news stations in Thailand.
The attacks—one against army-run Channel 5, the other against the National Broadcasting
Services of Thailand (NBT)—took
place Saturday night in the capital, Bangkok.

Thai media were caught in the middle of a political conflict that entered its fourth year of destabilizing antigovernment street demonstrations and tough government responses. Both sides in the conflict—supporters and opponents of exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra—threatened journalists, some of whom were openly aligned to factions taking part in the protest movements.